You Can Fly
by noisemaker
Summary: Another new chapter... Ella earns the lead in her school play, but something goes awry.
1. Part 1

You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Fly  
  
Summary: Ella earns the lead in her school play, but something goes awry.  
Spoilers: Anything that happened up through "Rampage" is fair game. Also anything that is speculated for season 8 is fair game.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing and nobody.  
Notes: This story takes place in 2014. Ella is thirteen. Mark's tumor has been in full remission for over twelve years. Rachel moved in with them for high school and she is currently a med student at County General. Mark and Elizabeth have two other children David, 9, and Christina Marie, 4. Everything else should be easy enough to understand.  
  
  
"I got the part, I got the part!" yelled Ella as she ran into the house. She dropped her backpack at the bottom of the stairs and began a frantic search for her parents. She finally ran into the upstairs study, a room where she was not normally allowed to go, and found her mom engrossed in the computer screen. "I got the part!" she yelled once more.  
  
Elizabeth turned away from the computer. Her excitement had overcome her wanting to reprimand her daughter for not knocking first. "Hunny, that's great," she said drawing her up into a hug.   
  
{Ella had auditioned for her the school play. The junior high had decided to put on Peter Pan this year, and Ella had had her heart set on being Wendy. The cast had been announced over the school loudspeaker during the afternoon announcements. Ella had run all the way home, not stopping to talk to anyone.}  
  
"I can't wait to tell dad. When's he getting home?" she asked.  
  
"Your father got stuck covering a shift for Dr. Lockhart. He won't be home till very very late tonight," replied Elizabeth. Ella was disappointed, and the look on her face said so. "I'll tell you what. Why don't we go visit him at work."  
  
Ella's face brightened up almost automatically. "Really?"  
  
"Only if you want to."  
  
"Of course I want to, mom."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Guess who?" asked Ella as she clamped her hands over her father's eyes.   
  
"Hrmm, Kerry?" he asked, playing along.  
  
"Nooo," she replied taking her hands off. "It's me!"  
  
"Well so it is," he said giving her a hug. "So what's this good news that you have?"  
  
"I'm not telling you yet. I want to wait for Rachel," she replied.  
  
"Fine," he said pretending to be annoyed. "Well, how about helping me with some patients while we wait for her?"  
  
"I wanna help too," David pouted coming into the lounge. "I never get to help."  
  
"You can help too." Mark picked up David and put him on his back as he and Ella went over to the ad mit desk. He grabbed a chart and they went off to Exam 3. They entered the room and Mark started the Exam. "Mr. Bartholomew, I'm Dr. Greene and these are my two assistants. What seems to be bothering you today?"  
  
The patient looked at the two children and then back towards Mark. "I… uh… well, I had problems sleeping last night and this morning I woke up and I couldn't see through certain parts of my right eye. I didn't make a big deal of it, but my wife made me come in."  
  
"We're going to run a few tests… Lydia order a blood test and a head CT… Mr. Bartholomew, do you have a family history of strokes or brain aneurisms?"  
  
After about an hour and three patients later, the two kids finally got tired of doing rounds. They plopped down in the lounge and entertained themselves with reruns of The Simpsons. Half way through the episode Rachel came into the lounge. "So, what's this big news you have to tell me?" she asked sitting down and taking Christina onto her lap.  
  
"Get dad, and I'll tell you," replied Ella, trying to build the suspense.  
  
David ran out of the lounge and came back pulling his father along. "Now tell us Ella," he whined.  
  
"Okay. You know I auditioned for the school play right?"  
  
"Ella you practiced that song for three weeks," replied Rachel.  
  
"You weren't supposed to answer… Well… I got the part!"  
  
"That's great," replied Mark giving her a huge hug.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ella slammed the car door shut after Rachel pulled into the garage, and stormed into the house. It had not been a successful practice, as she had originally hoped it would be. They had been rehearsing the Indian dance number for over a week, and apart from Ella and her friend Kelly (who would be playing Tiger Lily), no one had the slightest idea what they were doing. Four of the girls who were dancers fell and they had proceeded to take Ella down with them.   
  
She walked straight through the kitchen, where her parents were sitting, and pounded up the stairs. Mark and Elizabeth had stopped their conversation and looked at each other, utterly confused. Rachel came into the room a few minutes later and sat down at the table, exhausted after a long day at work and the deafening silent ride home. "What was that all about?" asked Elizabeth.  
  
Rachel looked up at her stepmother and responded, "Rehearsal from hell, I guess." She got up and grabbed a bottle of water before continuing. "She was pissed off from the moment she left the theater. Wouldn't talk the entire way home."  
  
"I'll go talk to her," said Mark standing up. Mark walked up the stairs and knocked on his daughter's door before entering. "Ella?"  
  
Ella turned her head off her pillow and looked at her father standing in the doorway. "I really don't want to talk about it, please." She buried her head back into the pillow after responding.  
  
Mark wouldn't take that for an answer. He entered the room and sat down on her bed next to her. "Ella, what's wrong?"  
  
"I said I don't want to talk about it right now. Dad, please, can we just talk about it later?"  
  
"No, we can't," he replied brushing her curls back from her face. "Tell me what happened."  
  
"It was just one of those days, I guess." She rolled over and rested her head on her father's leg. "Everything went totally wrong, and it was topped off by rehearsal."  
  
"It couldn't be that bad, could it?" he replied stroking her hair.   
  
"I forgot my history homework in the printer tray, I left both my lunch and my dinner on the bus. Luckily I always keep a few dollars in my locker just in case. My jacket got caught in the locker door, which proceeded to stay shut. I was late for third period because I couldn't open it," she took a deep breath before continuing. "I only had ten minutes to eat, because I had to make up a vocab quiz. I tripped up the stairs and ripped open my jeans. During my clarinet lesson after school I knocked over the music stand five times, and I broke the reed.   
  
"Rehearsal was awful. Nobody knows what they're doing. The dancers fell three times. And took me out with them. I hurt my wrist, and scraped both my legs up pretty bad… If everything didn't happen in one day it wouldn't have been so bad. It took all that I had not to blow up in the middle of the day."  
  
"It didn't seem to be your day." Mark drew his daughter onto his lap to comfort her. "Tomorrow will be better. You just have to deal with the bad days a little more carefully than others. I think you handled yourself pretty well if you were able to hold it in… Why don't you come downstairs and have something to eat, and then we'll go for bad day therapy."  
  
"Milkshakes and batting cages?"  
  
"You got it!"  
  
  
To Be Continued. 


	2. Part 2

You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Fly Part 2  
  
Summary: Ella earns the lead in her school play, but something goes awry.  
Spoilers: Anything that happened up through "Rampage" is fair game. Also anything that is speculated for season 8 is fair game.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing and nobody.  
Notes: This story takes place in 2014. Ella is thirteen. Mark's tumor has been in full remission for over twelve years. Rachel moved in with them for high school and she is currently a med student at County General. Mark and Elizabeth have two other children David, 9, and Christina Marie, 4. Everything else should be easy enough to understand.  
  
"So let's see this costume," said Elizabeth through the bathroom door.  
  
"Just remember that this is only an idea. They don't know what the real one if going to look like yet," replied Ella opening the door. She stood there in an ankle length nightgown looking thing.  
  
"Ella? Umm…. "  
  
"I know, I know, it's something I would never wear in a million years. That's the joys of acting, right?" she said somewhat sarcastically.  
  
"I know it's been quite a long time since I've seen Peter Pan, but why sleepwear?"  
  
"They get taken from their bedroom in the middle of the night. Me, Martin (plays John), and Pat (a third grader who plays Michael) are in sleepwear for the entire play. It also helps when they attach the harness."  
  
"I see," replied Elizabeth. "You're up for ER-scrub-green?"  
  
"Well, I don't have to wear it everyday. It doesn't bother me as much."  
  
"Funny. Why don't you show your father and see what he says."  
  
"No way. Not until the costumes are final. He'll want to change everything about them." Ella went back into the bathroom to change out of the makeshift costume. She emerged wearing jeans and a tee shirt. "I don't have to go to rehearsal today. I don't think I can deal with those dance segments this weekend."  
  
"Still that bad, huh?"  
  
"It's slowly getting better. The guys who are in the pirate scenes have everything almost totally down. It's just the Indians that can seem to get it together. So Ms. Lansing decided that they have to go for Saturday practices until they get it right."  
  
"So no more knocking you over?"  
  
"Let's hope so."  
  
Mark called from downstairs that he was home and Ella ran down to greet him. "How's my girl?" he asked lifting her off the ground. "What no practice today?"  
  
"Nope. I know what's I'm doing," she replied after her feet returned to the floor.  
  
"Well at least your modest," he said jokingly.  
  
"I don't know where she gets that from," said Elizabeth coming down the stairs. She gave Mark a quick kiss. "You just got off from a thirty hour shift, and how come you're wide awake?"  
  
"Good surroundings to come home to?" he suggested.  
  
"I'm going to go watch TV until you two stop flirting," said Ella leaving the room. She plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote. She flipped through the channels and finding not a whole lot worth watching she settled for 'Arsenic and Old Lace.' Just at the part where the brother goes charging up the stairs pretending to be Teddy Roosevelt, David comes running into the room and jumps on the couch next to her.   
  
"Ella, wanna play Legos with me?" he asked bouncing up and down.  
  
"Not right now, David. Kelly's coming over and we're going to see a movie."  
  
"Can I come too?" pleaded David. "Puh-lease."  
  
"I don't think you'll like this movie."  
  
"I bet I will."  
  
"Why don't you go ask Rachel if you can come with us."  
  
David ran into the kitchen and started to pull on Rachel's sleeve. "Can I go? I wanna go too."  
  
Rachel pulled him up onto her lap before responding. "I think this movie is a little too scary for you."  
  
"But I never get to do anything. Ella never lets me do anything with her."  
  
"Why don't you call Patrick and see if he wants to go to the movies. I'll take you to see the new Batman cartoon."  
  
"Yeah," he replied as he jumped off her lap and ran to get the phone.  
  
Fifteen minutes later they had all piled into Rachel's car to go the theater, leaving Mark and Elizabeth to get some must need rest (yeah, right.).  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Boy, why are you crying?"  
  
"I'm not crying. It's just that my shadow won't stay on."  
  
"That's because you're trying to stick it on with soap. Here let me sew it on for you."  
  
"Matt," said Ms. Lansing stopping the scene. "When Ella asks you why you're crying, you have to stop and make it look like you haven't been. You don't want her to think you have been crying. Let's try it again."  
  
Matt picks up the cloth cut out and a cardboard bar of soap and tries to stick the 'shadow' on. After about four tries he sits down on the floor with his face in hands, crying.  
  
"Boy, why are you crying?"  
  
"I'm not crying. It's just my shadow won't stay on."  
  
"That's because you're trying to stick it on with soap, silly. Here, let me sew it on for you." She gets the sewing basket off the dresser at stage left (for those of you who don't know, it's the actor's left), and returns to sit on the floor next to Matt. "This may hurt a bit."  
  
"Don't worry, I never cry."  
  
Ella begins to 'sew' the shadow to the bottom of his feet. "There. Good as new."  
  
Matt stands up and wiggles his legs. He stands in front of a spotlight, which provides the shadow on the back wall of the stage. "Shadow!" He jumps around, throwing the shadow in different ways on the wall.  
  
"Ok, that's it for tonight," said Ms. Lansing ending the rehearsal. "Go home, get some sleep. Be ready for a full out running of the first act tomorrow."  
  
To Be Continued  



	3. Part 3

You Can Fly You Can Fly You Can Fly Part 3  
  
Summary: Ella earns the lead in her school play, but something goes awry.  
Spoilers: Anything that happened up through "Rampage" is fair game. Also anything that is speculated for season 8 is fair game.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing and nobody.  
Notes: This story takes place in 2014. Ella is thirteen. Mark's tumor has been in full remission for over twelve years. Rachel moved in with them for high school and she is currently a med student at County General. Mark and Elizabeth have two other children David, 9, and Christina Marie, 4. Everything else should be easy enough to understand.  
  
  
"Full dress rehearsal tomorrow. I want everybody here at 5:30 and in full costume and make-up by 6. Is that clear?" announced Ms. Lansing at the end of practice. The group mumbled various forms of "yes" before running to their respective rides.   
  
Ella ran to her dad's van and quickly got in. "So how was rehearsal?" he asked.  
  
"Pretty good. Everything is finally starting to come together. No one fell today."  
  
"Well that's good news. You up for a detour before he head home?"  
  
"Depends," she replied. "Where?"  
  
"County. I promised your Aunt Susan I'd give her a ride home. Her car's out of commission for awhile."  
  
"Sure, I guess."  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"The ER's little actress," said Haleh as they walked into the lounge. "How's the play coming?"  
  
"Only two more weeks till opening night," she replied.  
  
"We can't wait."  
  
"Is everyone coming?" she asked, somewhat surprised.  
  
"Almost everyone's going to opening night, we wouldn't miss that for the world. Those who aren't are going on Friday."  
  
"Great… so don't screw up, huh?"  
  
Susan entered the lounge followed by Carter. They both went to their lockers, Carter putting his jacket away and Susan taking hers out. "I'll see you at home," he said giving her a quick kiss.  
  
"Bye," she replied. "Ready to go El?"  
  
"Sure, where's Dad?"  
  
"Waiting at the desk. We better get going before we get stuck running another trauma." The two left the lounge and approached the ad mit desk. Meeting up with Mark, they then headed to the car.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ella fidgeted all day; she was growing more and more nervous as the hours passed. Only two more days until opening night, and she could hardly stand the tension, and everyone in school just added to it. There was only ten minutes until the dismissal bell rang, and she spent that time staring at the clock.  
  
When it did finally go, she grabbed her book bag and ran to her locker. She packed quickly and ran just as fast to the theater. She dropped her stuff on the floor of the dressing room and changed into her costume. "Only two more of these before the real thing," she reminded Kelly.  
  
Kelly pulled her feather dress onto her head and turned to face Ella, "Thanks for the info El. Like I didn't know. Nobody has left us alone all week."  
  
The two girls put the last touches on their costumes and make up before heading out to the stage. The entire cast stood around waiting for Ms. Lansing to officially start the rehearsal.   
  
They went through the entire play without a hitch, a rarity with this group. Ella stood outside talking with Martin, and a few other people from the cast, waiting for their rides. They had just randomly been talking about different things when Martin asked, "Hey, Ella, since rehearsal got out a little early tonight, do you… uh... do you maybe want to go get something to eat or something?"  
  
Ella and Kelly stopped and just looked at each other. This was Martin asking her out, neither could understand what had brought him to do so, and neither could come up with an answer. Martin just looked at the two girls, waiting for a response to his question. When none came, he questioned, "Ella? You still alive?"  
  
This snapped her back into reality. "What?... oh, Martin.. yeah, I'd like that. I just have to talk to my parents first. They might not be too happy about coming all the way our here, but I don't think they'd mind." A huge smile spread over Martin's face after she answered, he secretly prayed that she would be able to go.   
  
A few moments later Ella's ride pulled up. Instead of going over to the passenger's side like she normally would have done, she went to the driver's side window. The window rolled down, and Ella bent down a little to face Rachel. "Rachel, do you mind if I come home a little later?" she asked.  
  
Rachel looked at her weirdly. "Why?"  
  
"Well… uhm… you see," Ella hesitated, looking at Martin quickly and then back at Rachel.   
  
Rachel turned to see who or what she was looking at and then noticed Martin. "It took him long enough," she said, realizing why Ella didn't want to go quite yet.  
  
"What do you mean? I mean, Martin asked if I wanted to grab something to eat, can I go?"  
  
"Have you asked dad or Elizabeth?"  
  
"Not yet. I thought that they were picking me up. Could you call them and ask, please? They will listen to you more than me."  
  
"Fine… but you owe me big time." Rachel quickly dialed the home number on her cell phone and waited for someone to pick up. After a short conversation, and much convincing, Rachel hung up. "They gave in. But…"  
  
"Thank you Rach," interrupted Ella.   
  
"But… you have to be home by nine thirty, and, well the rest they'll tell you at home."  
  
Ella gave her sister a quick hug and ran off after Martin.  
  
To Be Continued 


	4. Part 4

You Can Fly You Can Fly. Part 4  
  
Disclaimer: I own nobody and nothing.  
  
Spoilers: Everything up to Rampage. after that I make it all up.  
  
Notes: I didn't like anything that happened in season eight. so lets pretend that it didn't happen at all. So this is what I made up: Carter and Susan are together. they've been married for about ten years and have one daughter named Jessica, 7, and one son J.T.C. the 5th who's 3. Abby did go to medical school and she and Luka have been dating for about fifteen years and show no signs of marriage. Everyone is still there for the most part. yes even Romano. but he's become more bearable over the passing years.  
  
Ella did a quick double check of her make-up and costume for what seemed to be the fourteenth time in the last twenty minutes. Opening night nerves were really starting to hit her hard, as she checked the crowd again. Sure enough, there were her parents, grandparents, and brother right in the front row with the rest of her ER family, that wasn't working, scattered about the auditorium.  
  
"Time to get into the harnesses," said Ms. Lansing to the cast. "Everyone who needs to be in a harness for the opening scenes put them on now. Everyone else. lets get ready. Curtain goes up in ten minutes."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Susan and Carter were sitting in the row behind the rest of Ella's family with their own two kids. Jessica was grossly involved with her book but John couldn't seem to sit still. "I wanna see the pie-rats daddy," he squealed, accidentally hitting Elizabeth in the head. "When are the pie- rats coming."  
  
"J.T., shhh," replied Carter. "Calm down, you're hitting Aunt Lizabeth in the head."  
  
"That's all right Carter," replied Elizabeth turning around. "He's just a little anxious. J.T. you'll see the pirates in a few minutes ok?"  
  
"Pie-rats. wheelly?"  
  
"Yes, really. it's only a few minutes more," she replied. "Now why don't you behave for your Mom and Dad and maybe we'll take you out afterwards for something special. How does that sound?"  
  
With the suggestion of a surprise awaiting him, JT sat down in his seat and stared at the stage waiting for the curtain to go up. "You don't have to do that Lizabeth," said Carter leaning forward.  
  
"I know, but I want to. Besides. it's Ella's opening night and she's off to a cast party afterwards so think of it as our party."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Back stage the cast was putting the last minutes touches on everything before the curtain went up. Ella was re-adjusting her harness just to make sure that it was hidden underneath her costume.  
  
Coming up behind her, Martin placed his hands on her shoulders, "Calm down, El." He said, "You're going to be great." Ella turned around to face him with a doubtful look on her face. "Honestly, El. You've been awesome in rehearsal. This should be a piece of cake."  
  
Ella shrugged her shoulders in disbelief. "If you say so."  
  
"I know so," he replied giving her a hug. They stayed that way for a minute, Ella trying to gather her nerves together. He pulled back a little at the sound of Ms. Lansing calling for places. "Can I give you something before we go on? Sort of a good luck charm?"  
  
"Of course. I think I need everything I can get right now."  
  
Martin smiled at her and shoved his hands into his pockets. He kissed her quickly on the cheek, "Break a leg El," he said before kissing her quickly on the lips and running off to get into place.  
  
Ella just stood there in shock, happy shock, until Kelly tapped her on the shoulder. She quickly ran to her spot as the curtain went up.  
  
To Be Continued 


End file.
